Tolga Bilgin

Tolga Bilgin is a Turkish jazz trumpeter and composer from Izmir. He studied classical trumpet and then specialized in jazz; He is known for the album Istanbul Edition, which he released with the Nevi quintet he founded.

He started his music education at Dokuz Eylül University State Conservatory in 2002 and completed the classical trumpet department in 2011. He started working at Izmir State Opera and Ballet since 2006. To deepen in the field of jazz, he went to Italy and completed his master's degree in jazz at the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory in Turin.

Nevi and stage works

Bilgin founded the community called Nevi in ​​2018. The band's name means "variety" and its music includes traces of contemporary jazz, classical music and world music. In addition to Bilgin's trumpet, the lineup included Onur Aymergen (guitar), Ozan Musluoğlu (double bass), Aleksandr Bozhenko (drums) and Russian pianist Andrei Kondakov (piano).

The band's ten-track album, Istanbul Edition, was released on March 27, 2020, by the Norway-based Losen Records label.

Continuing his studies in classical music, Bilgin appeared on stage with ensembles such as the Izmir State Opera and Ballet Chamber Orchestra. On the jazz side, he gave concerts at festivals in the country, especially the Istanbul Jazz Festival.

Bilgin is among the musicians from Izmir who combine his classical background with jazz.